Dahlia plant named ‘Dapapu’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct  Dahlia  plant named ‘Dapapu’, characterized by its greyed purple-colored ray florets, yellow-colored disc florets, dark green-colored foliage, and compact, upright, and mounded growth habit.

Latin name of genus and species of plant claimed: Dahlia variabilis.

Variety denomination: ‘Dapapu’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct Dahlia plant botanically known as Dahlia variabilis and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘Dapapu’.

The new cultivar originated in a controlled breeding program in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program was the development of freely flowering Dahlia cultivars with large flowers and a compact, upright growth habit.

The new cultivar is a naturally occurring whole plant mutation of the commercially available cultivar Dapavio, U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,492, characterized by its red purple-colored ray florets, yellow-colored disc florets, dark green-colored foliage, and compact growth habit. The new cultivar was discovered as a single plant growing among plants of ‘Dapavio’ and selected by the inventor on Jan. 1, 2001 at Rijsenhout, The Netherlands.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal stem cuttings since January 2001 at Rijsenhout, The Netherlands and West Chicago, Ill. has demonstrated that the new cultivar reproduces true to type with all characteristics, as herein described, firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of such asexual propagation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The new cultivar has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions to date. Accordingly, it is possible that the phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in the environment such as temperature, light intensity, and day length without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following characteristics of the new cultivar have been repeatedly observed and can be used to distinguish ‘Dapapu’ as a new and distinct cultivar of Dahlia plant:

-   -   1. Semi-double greyed purple-colored ray florets and         yellow-colored disc florets.     -   2. Dark green-colored foliage.     -   3. Compact, upright, and mounded growth habit.

Plants of the new cultivar have larger flowers of a darker color and have a more compact growth habit than plants of the female parent.

Of the many Dahlia cultivars known to the inventor, the most similar to the new cultivar is ‘Baldelrasp’, U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,167. However, in side by side comparisons, plants of the new cultivar differ from plants of ‘Baldelrasp’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new cultivar are more compact than plants of         ‘Baldelrasp’.     -   2. Plants of the new cultivar exhibit smaller inflorescences         than do plants of ‘Baldelrasp’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs show, as nearly true as it is reasonably possible to make the same in color illustrations of this type, typical flower and foliage characteristics of the new cultivar. Colors in the photographs differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed description, which accurately describes the colors of the new cultivar. The plants were grown for 11 weeks in a greenhouse at West Chicago, Ill.

FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of the overall growth and flowering habit of ‘Dapapu’.

FIG. 2 illustrates a close-up view of a single inflorescence of ‘Dapapu’ with fully open ray florets and unopen disc florets.

FIG. 3 illustrates a close-up view of a single inflorescence of ‘Dapapu’ with fully open ray florets and fully open disc florets.

FIG. 4 illustrates a close-up view of the upper surface of the ray florets of ‘Dapapu’ with a young ray floret on the left and the fully mature ray floret on the right.

FIG. 5 illustrates a close-up view of the lower surface of the ray florets of ‘Dapapu’ with a young ray floret on the left and the fully mature ray floret on the right.

FIGS. 4 and 5 further illustrate the variations in color of the ray florets of ‘Dapapu’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The chart used in the identification of colors described herein is The R.H.S. Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society, London, England, 2001 edition, except where general color terms of ordinary significance are used. The color values were determined on Jun. 15, 2005 between 10:00 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. under natural light conditions in West Chicago, Ill.

The following descriptions and measurements describe plants produced from cuttings of stock plants and grown in a double polycarbonate-covered greenhouse under conditions comparable to those used in commercial practice. The plants were grown in 10 cm pots for 11 weeks while utilizing a soil-less growth medium. Greenhouse temperatures were maintained at approximately 65°-75° F. (18°-24° C.) during the day and approximately 60°-65° F. (15°-18° C.) during the night. Greenhouse light levels were maintained at approximately 4,000-6,000 footcandles during the day. Plants were pinched three weeks after planting of rooted cuttings.

-   Botanical classification: Dahlia variabilis cultivar Dapapu. -   Parentage: Naturally occurring sport of ‘Dapavio’. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type cutting.—Terminal tip.         -   Time to initiate roots.—Approximately 7 to 10 days.         -   Time to produce a rooted cutting.—Approximately 21 to 28             days.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous.         -   Tubers.—Will form under short day conditions of at least 13             to 14 hours of darkness. -   Plant description:     -   -   Crop time.—Approximately 6-8 weeks.         -   Growth habit.—Basal branching, pinching enhances branching.         -   General appearance and form.—Upright, mounded.         -   Size.—Height from top of soil to top of plant plane:             Approximately 21.2 cm. Height from top of soil to top of             foliage: Approximately 14.8 cm. Width/area of spread:             Approximately 25.4 cm.         -   Branch description.—Quantity per plant: Approximately 4.             Strength: Strong. Length: Approximately 7.1 cm. Diameter:             Approximately 6.7 mm. Length of center internode:             Approximately 1.1 cm. Texture: Glabrous. Color: 144A.         -   Foliage.—Quantity of leaves per lateral branch:             Approximately 9. Type: Simple and compound. Quantity of             leaflets per compound leaf: 3. Fragrance: None. Arrangement:             Opposite. Aspect: At acute angle to stem at first, becoming             down-turning with age. Leaf/leaflet: Shape: Ovate. Apex:             Acuminate. Base: Obtuse. Margin: Dentate. Venation pattern:             Pinnate. Color of upper surface of all leaves/leaflets:             Darker than 137A with venation of 143C. Color of lower             surface of all leaves/leaflets: N138C with venation of 143C.             Texture of upper and lower surface of all leaves/leaflets:             Sparse, with more dense pubescence along veins. Length of             simple leaf: Approximately 7.9 cm. Width of simple leaf:             Approximately 4.9 cm. Length of petiole of simple leaf:             Approximately 3.2 cm. Diameter of petiole of simple leaf:             Approximately 3.0 mm. Texture of petiole of simple leaf:             Glabrous. Color of petiole of simple leaf: 144C with streaks             of 59C at base. Length of mature trifoliate leaf:             Approximately 8.0 cm. Width of mature trifoliate leaf:             Approximately 9.5 cm. Length of petiole of mature trifoliate             leaf: Approximately 3.5 cm. Diameter of petiole of mature             trifoliate leaf: Approximately 3.7 mm. Texture of petiole of             mature trifoliate leaf: Glabrous. Color of petiole of mature             trifoliate leaf: 144C with streaks of 59C at base. Length of             terminal leaflet: Approximately 6.5 cm. Width of terminal             leaflet: Approximately 4.1 cm. Length of petiole of terminal             leaflet: Approximately 1.3 cm. Diameter of petiole of             terminal leaflet: Approximately 2.4 mm. Length of lateral             leaflet: Approximately 5.3 cm. Width of lateral leaflet:             Approximately 2.9 cm. Petiole of lateral leaflet: Absent. -   Flowering description:     -   -   Outdoor flowering habit.—‘Dapapu’ is freely flowering under             outdoor growing conditions with substantially continuous             blooming from spring through autumn and year round in             greenhouse environment.         -   Time to first flower.—Approximately 8 weeks. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Type: Composite. Arrangement: Terminal, Arising             from leaf axils on strong peduncles, positioned over the             foliage. Disc and ray florets arranged acropetally on a             capitulum. Persistent.         -   Quantity per plant.—Approximately 4 fully open at any one             time.         -   Lastingness of bloom.—Approximately 7-10 days.         -   Shape/size.—Hemispherical. Diameter: Approximately 7.9 cm.             Depth: Approximately 4.5 cm. Disc diameter: Approximately             1.5 cm. Receptical diameter: Approximately 9.3 mm.             Receptical height/depth: Approximately 2.2 mm. Receptical             color: Closest to 150B.         -   Flower bud.—Quantity per plant: Approximately 2 showing             color at any one time. Rate of opening: Generally takes             approximately 2 weeks for buds to progress from first color             to fully open flower. Shape: Oblate. Diameter/width at first             color: Approximately 1.8 cm. Height/depth at first color:             Approximately 1.6 cm. Texture: Glabrous. Color: 84D.         -   Fragrance.—None.         -   Ray florets.—Quantity: Approximately 60 per inflorescence.             Arrangement: Imbricate, in several whorls. Shape: Elliptic,             cupped. Apex: Emarginate with three tips. Base: Attenuate,             fused to form tube. Margin: Entire. Length: Approximately             2.9 cm. Width: Approximately 1.5 cm. Texture of upper             surface: Glabrous. Texture of lower surface: Puberulent.             Color of upper surface when just opening: Slightly darker             than 187C. Color of lower surface when just opening:             Slightly darker than 187C. Color of upper surface when fully             opened: 187C with 72A at margin. Color of lower surface when             fully open: 72A with ridges of 76C. -   Disc florets.—Quantity: Approximately 37. Arrangement: Massed in     center of inflorescence. Shape: Cylindrical. Apex: 5 acute tips.     Length: Approximately 1.2 cm. Diameter at apex: Approximately     2.2 mm. Diameter at base: Approximately 1.6 mm. Texture: Glabrous.     Color: Transparent, closest to 9B.     -   -   Peduncle.—Strength: Strong. Aspect: Erect. Length:             Approximately 8.5 cm. Diameter: Approximately 2.7 mm.             Texture: Glabrous. Color: 144A with streaks of N79A at base.         -   Phyllaries.—Quantity: One per floret. Shape: Linear,             slightly overtapping. Apex: Emarginate. Base: Truncate.             Margin: Entire. Length: Approximately 1.6 cm. Width:             Approximately 5.8 mm. Texture of upper and lower surfaces:             Glabrous. Color of upper and lower surfaces: 150C with 143A             at base.         -   Secondary phyllaries.—Quantity: Approximately 5. Shape:             Rhomboidal. Apex: Acuminate. Base: Attenuate. Margin:             Entire. Length: Approximately 1.1 cm. Width: Approximately             5.1 mm. Texture of upper and lower surfaces: Glabrous. Color             of upper and lower surfaces: 137B.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium — On disc florets. Stamen             number: 5. Anther shape: Linear. Anther length:             Approximately 4 mm. Anther color: 7B. Pollen amount:             Abundant. Pollen color: 14B. Gynoecium — On disc and ray             florets. Pistil length: Approximately 1.2 cm. Stigma length:             4 mm. Stigma color: 17B. Style length: 6.0 mm. Style color:             1C. Ovary length: 2.0 mm. Ovary color: 150C. -   Seed and fruit production: Neither seed nor fruit production has     been observed. -   Disease and pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests     common to Dahlia has not been observed. 

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Dahlia plant named ‘Dapapu’, substantially as herein shown and described. 